“He’s a shot blocker. We’re a team that attacks the rim. You put those two together, somebody has to win. Obviously he did a great job with nine blocks but I don’t think that stopped us from attacking the basket. His nine blocks didn’t affect the way we attacked the rim or the way we got to the basket. I think our main thing is we gotta keep doing it. He had nine blocks, but he had 5, 6 fouls too, right? So we can’t back away from attacking the basket. We gotta keep going…

“We’re going to keep going at him and we’re going to attack him. If he ends up with 20 blocks, he ends up with 20 blocks. He’s going to have to work for his 20 blocks. We don’t have anybody on this team that’s afraid to attack the basket and go at him. We’re not going to just let him think he’s the bully he’s the factor up under the basket, because he’s not. We play above the rim just like he does. Somebody has to win.”

So far, Dwight Howard is winning. He wins these battles a lot. But with the Bobcats offense, or lack thereof, they have no choice but to keep going inside looking for the high-percentage shot.

I don’t remember playing tonight. I didn’t play. Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. No Knute Rockne speeches. It’s your job. If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. If a doctor botches operations, he’s not a doctor anymore. If you’re a basketball player, you come ready. It’s called maturity. It’s your job.

Like it or not, motivation is part of an NBA coach’s job.

But that’s also precisely what Popovich is doing.

His credentials dwarf any other coach’s. He can play to his own ego and absolve himself of responsibility – and players will seek to please him. His years of success have earned him the ability to motivate this way, a method no other coach could use without alienating his team.

So, why not hold Motiejunas to what became a four-year, $31 million offer sheet once matched? Houston got something in return – a later trigger date on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ 2017-18 salary. Originally, that decision had to be made March 1 – which would’ve meant dropping Motiejunas from the team this season to prevent his salary from counting next season. Now, the Rockets can make that call in July, after this season is complete.

The following two Julys, Houston will also have a choice on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ upcoming salary or dropping him.

Essentially, Motiejunas is signing the most lucrative Hinkie Special in NBA history. If he plays well and stays healthy, the Rockets have Motiejunas at an affordable rate. If he struggles or his back injuries flare up, they can drop him with little to no penalty.

After they backed themselves into this corner, Motiejunas and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, didn’t do so bad. Considering the similarity between this contract and the Nets’ original offer sheet, it seems Houston helped Armstrong save face after a bungled free agency (which is easier to accept when you’re adding a talented reserve to a formidable team).

But for how little is guaranteed and how much control the Rockets hold over the next four years, wouldn’t Motiejunas have been better off accepting the $4,433,683 qualifying offer?

This means Motiejunas can’t sign with the Nets, who signed him to the original offer sheet, for one year.

I bet it also means Motiejunas and Houston have agreed to a new contract. Otherwise, why release him from the offer sheet? The Rockets would be giving up a tremendous amount of leverage out of the goodness of their hearts – unless this is just a prelude to a new deal with Houston.